Dismountable shelf supporting unit and bracket therefor



A. J. BJERKE May 25, 1965 DISMOUNTABLE SHELF SUPPORTING UNIT AND BRACKET THEREFOR Filed April 13. 1962 I Iimovrat. flu 83mm 6.12am:

The present invention relates to dismountable shelving units and, more particularly, to a shelf andshelf supporting brackets which may be readily assembled into a unit and the brackets assembled'on uprights to'facilitate holding the unit as a rigidstructure;

It is one object of the invention to provide shelves and shelf brackets interld'ckable with each other to maintain the shelves on the brackets againstomovement in all directions and also fix the brackets relative to one another without the use of separate fastening means such as screws orthelike. m 1

The invention is mainly distinguished by a dismountable shelving unit, comprising support posts, vertical series of vertical slots along the front sides of said posts, a pair of shelf supporting brackets each having a laterally opening channel-shaped cross-section, defined by a vertical flange portion and an upper and lowerhorizontal flange and adapted to receive the adjacent edge portion of a shelf, a pair of hooks at the rear end of said vertical portion adapted to engage in detachable association with said vertical slots, an extension projecting from the front end United States Patent-C "ice of said lower flange and pin means projecting upwardly at the outer end of said extension adaptedto be received in a corresponding bore in the lower side of said end portion of the shelf.

. An embodiment of the invention is illustrated, by way of example, in the accompanying drawing in which:

sheet, has a laterally opening U-shaped cross-section comprising a vertical web portion 2, an upper flange 3 and a lower flange 4. At the rear end of the bracket the portion 2 is provided with hooks 5 to engage vertical slots 6 in a vertical post 7 secured to a wall 8 or an other support member.

According to the invention the lower flange 4, at the front end of the bracket 1, is provided with a forwardly and somewhat laterally directed extension 9 which at its outer end has an upwardly bent portion 10 serving as a pivot pin. Further the corner of the upper flange 3 lying above said extension may be inclined or rounded off as shown at 11 so that the upper flange 3 is horizontally spaced from the axis of the pin 10.

The plate-shaped shelf 12 on which the bracket is to be applied is provided on the lower side thereof with a circular opening 13 adapted tothe upwardly bent portion 10 so that said portion may be rotated, but not moved laterally in the hole. The distance between the edge of the shelfand the axisof the hole 13 is adapted to the distance between the longitudinal axis of the portion or pin 10 and a plane coinciding with the inner surface of the vertical portion 2 of the bracket.

The arrangement being such that when a bracket 1 is positioned at an angle with the edge of the shelf 12,- as

inserted in the hole 13 in the lower side of the shelf 12 until the extension 9 engages said lower side. When 2 thereafter the bracket 1 is pivoted about the pin 10 towards the shelf 12 the bracket encompasses the end'pordetails similar to the bracket above described but constitutes a mirror picture thereof.

The assembled unit, comprising the shelf and the brackets applied, on the ends thereof, is held together as a rigid structure in assembling the brackets on the vertical posts 7.

1. Abi'acket for use in a dismountable shelf supporting unit, the bracket comprising, in combination:

a an elongated web portion lying in a vertically extending plane in the normaloperative position of said bracket;

(b) an upper elongated flange portion and a lower elongated flange portion, said portions jointly constituting an elongated channel member open ina horizontal lateral direction when in said operative position for receiving an edgeportion of a shelf, said channel member having longitudinal front and rear ends;

(c) hook means on the rear end of said channel member for mounting said channel member on a support in said normal position thereof; 7

(d) an extension projecting from the front end of said lower flange portion; and

(e) pivot pin means upwardly extending from a portion of said extension spaced from said lower flange portion in said normal position of said bracket for pivotally engaging a corresponding recess on the underside of a shelf.

2. A bracket as set forth in claim 1, wherein said pivot pin means has an axis, and the front end of said upper flange portion is horizontally spaced from said axis in said normal position of said bracket.

3. A bracket as set forth in claim 1, in which said pin means is integral with said extension.

4. A bracket as set forth in claim 1, in which the extension projects forwardly and laterally from said lower flange portion.

5. In a dismountable shelf supporting unit, in combination:

(a) a bracket including (1) an elongated web portion lying in a vertically extending plane in the normal operative position of said bracket;

(2) an upper elongated flange portion and a lower elongated flange portion, said portions jointly constituting an elongated channel member open in a horizontal lateral direction when in said operative position for receiving an edge portion of ashelf, said channel member having longitudinal front and rear ends;

(3) hook means on the rear end of said channel member;

(4) an extension projecting from the front end of said lower flange portion; and

(5) pivot pin means upwardly extending from a portion of said extension spaced from said lower flange portion in said normal position of said bracket for pivotally engaging a corresponding recess on the underside of a shelf.

(b) an elongated support post adapted to be mounted on a Wall in vertical position, said post being formed with a recess engaged by said hook means for mounting said bracket on said post in said normal position thereof when said post is in said vertical position.

6. In a unit as set forth in claim 5, said extension pro- Patented May 25, 1965' a jecting forwardly and laterally from said lower flange portion, said pivot pin means having an axis, and said upper flange portion being horizontally spaced from said axis in said normal position of said bracket.

7. In a dismountable shelf unit, in combination: (a) a bracket including (1) an elongated Web portion lying in a vertically extending plane in the normal operative position of said bracket;

(2) an upper elongated flange portion and a lower elongated flange portion, said portions jointly constituting an elongated channel member open in a horizontal lateral direction when in said operative position for receiving an edge portion of a she 1f, said channel member having longitudinal front and rear ends; 1

(3) hook means on the rear end of said channel member;

(4) an extension projecting from the front end of said lower flange portion; and

(5) pivot pin means upwardly extending from a portion of said extension spaced from said lower flange portion in said normal position of said bracket;

(b) an elongated support post adapted to be mounted 5 on a wall in vertical position, said post being formed with a recess engaged by said hook means for mounting said bracket on said post in said normal position thereof when said post is in said vertical position.

(0) a plate shaped shelf member having an edge portion received in said channel member, said shelf member being formed with a pivot opening engaged by said pivot pin means for rotation of said shelf member about the axis of said pivot pin means.

8. In a unit as set forth'in claim 7, said extension projecting forwardly and laterally from said lower flange portion, and said upper flange portion being horizontally spaced from the axis of said pivot pin means in said normal position of said bracket.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,354,270 9/20 Wood 248-250 2,971,657 2/61 Zadek 248--250 X FOREIGN PATENTS 95,708 3/60 Norway.

CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner.

FRANK L. ABBOTT, Examiner. 

1. A BRACKET FOR USE IN A DISMOUNTABLE SHELF SUPPORTING UNIT, THE BRACKET COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: (A) AN ELONGATED WEB PORTION LYING IN A VERTICALLY EXTENDING PLANE IN THE NORMAL OPERATIVE POSITION OF SAID BRACKET; (B) AN UPPER ELONGATED FLANGE PORTION AND A LOWER ELONGATED FLANGE PORTION, SAID PORTIONS JOINTLY CONSTITUTING AN ELONGATED CHANNEL MEMBER OPEN IN A HORIZONTAL LATERAL DIRECTION WHEN IN SAID OPERATIVE POSITION FOR RECEIVING AN EDGE PORTION OF A SHELF, SAID CHANNEL MEMBER HAVING LONGITUDINAL FRONT AND REAR ENDS; (C) HOOK MEANS ON THE REAR END OF SAID CHANNEL MEMBER FOR MOUNTING SAID CHANNEL MEMBER ON A SUPPORT IN SAID NORMAL POSITION THEREOF; (D) AN EXTENSION PROJECTING FROM THE FRONT END OF SAID LOWER FLANGE PORTION; AND (E) PIVOT PIN MEANS UPWARDLY EXTENDING FROM A PORTION OF SAID EXTENSION SPACED FROM SAID LOWER FLANGE PORTION IN SAID NORMAL POSITION OF SAID BRACKET FOR PIVOTALLY ENGAGING A CORRESPONDING RECESS ON THE UNDERSIDE OF A SHELF. 